Ten dogs rescued from trunking – new dog fighting trend

An anonymous call lead animal services to the Goulds in Miami, where 10 dogs were rescued from the latest trend in illegal dog fights, trunking.

Trunking refers to two dogs, locked in the trunk of car for fighting purposes. The brawl happens while a person drives the car for 10-15 min. and music is played loudly to hide the sounds of the dog fight. After time has elapsed, the driver checks on the dogs and discards the body of dead animal.

The anonymous caller told authorities that a dog owner was frequently throwing dogs in the trunk of a car, letting them fight to their deaths.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they found five adult dogs and four puppies in crates.

“The kennels did not have any water, food, or adequate shelter,” said Luis Salgado with Miami-Dade County Animal Services. “They were in feces and urine so the conditions were pretty bad.”

The animals were taken to Miami-Dade Animal Services in Medley, Fla. Veterinarians examined the dogs, most of them were covered in scars and open wounds. One dog had recent injuries, a broken wrist and an injured eye. The dogs were not aggressive towards the staff.

“Usually, dogs that are used for fighting are very loving of their owner. They actually fight to please the owner,” said Salgado.

Unfortunately, the owner of the animals was not found and authorities are still looking for the person. Animal Services is working to get custody of the dogs. They will be placed for adoption.

About the authorKatherine

Katherine has been a journalist for over ten years. She has a B.A. and a Master Degree in Journalism. She specializes in online journalism, web content managing, web design, web analytics, social media, email marketing, SEO and social media.

20 comments

How can the animals be placed up for adoption if they were trained to fight and are thus dog-aggressive? While I feel *horrible* for those poor dogs, they need to be euthanized… not rehomed, so some unwittingly family adopts one and then it eats the neighbor’s dog.

Typically the dogs are put through series of testing and retraining to eventually re-introduce them to normal life…they aren’t just taken from A to B without retraining to make sure they can be with others

You should be euthanized so no one ever has to be exposed to your blatant stupidity and senseless disregard for animal life. In the meantime, I’d say that, perhaps some of these dogs might end up being best suited for families with no other pets (as many dogs fall into this category)… Though, I wouldn’t necessarily forsee any problem with homes that have other pets either, assuming these dogs go through evaluation and rehabilitation (which they certainly will). I don’t see how there could be any kind of situation where one of these dogs “eats the neighbors dog”… Seriously?

Quite often the dogs are forced to fight, most don’t like fighting, it’s a do or die situation. If you do some research you can find many cases where a “fighting dog” can be retrained and re-homed, some even become service dogs and ambassadors for the breed. Just do an online search for the Vicktory Dogs, they were dogs that were rescued from Michael Vick’s dog fighting compound. There are 7 dogs, all were the “worse” of the fighters and are all now living in loving homes. These dogs are placed with experienced people who know the breed who are not afraid of them. Anyone who has had the opportunity to spend time with a rescued “bait” or fighting dog, would know they just want to be loved, not hurt and abused, often even the “winning” dogs die of infection from being torn apart. In dog fighting there are no winners, except for the humans who are fighting them.

The dogs were trapped in trunks, not trained to fight. Had you bothered to read the article it clearly stated that the dogs fought to please the pathetic human waste of an owner…and that they tend to be very gentle to the people. The dogs fight for survival, a trait in every living creature! They did not fight by choice and most likely would never fight by choice.
People need to be euthanized that would engage in such activities…end of problem!!!

the horror that human beings inflict on themselves and other living creatures is amazing…the only thing I can say is there is an owner out there who should be locked in a trunk with a creature that will physically attack him. The “justice system” will only give probation…I have a far better plan for these kinds of people!

As a wildlife rehabilitation specialist and animal behaviorist I will say this: these people need to be trained just like we train dogs because they seem to act just like animals do based on instincts. When you act like this, please do not expect lawyers, human rights and such. You will get a kennel, a bowl of water and some kibble, and lots of discipline. I know I sound harsh but this is how I feel. Human rights are for humans. Peace!

Just to update…. three of these dogs were rescued by Pit Sisters in Jacksonville, FL. They all are going to be just fine! Lots of scars on their souls but it hasn’t deterred their want to give kisses and snuggle. If you want to keep up with them Pit Sisters is on facebook and updates statuses frequently. Go like their page and maybe contribute to them. They are a non profit and donations are tax exempt